This is where the happy couple will begin their life together and make their first home and it turned out to be a lovely place to gather around the cake and toast the bride and groom. The apartment is a duplex and has shinny hardwood floors and lots of white walls. Remember a "duplex" apartment in New York is a two story apartment. When I was growing up a duplex to me was a house built for two families. This apartment is in a pre-war building not a new modern skyscraper so a duplex apartment is a bit rare. There is a cute spiral staircase joining the two floors which made for a great photo spot.
The day before the wedding, I had spent decorating the apartment and preparing the cake. Chocolate was the flavor of choice of both the bride and groom. I decided on a different chocolate flavor for each layer. My daughter had also requested Cream Cheese frosting. In looking at the many options for wedding cakes, we decided on a small green cake. There was a slight color theme of pink and green for the wedding and this was primarily used at the reception.
We had a dainty wall banner. Do the words "dainty" and "wall banner" go together? When you use a Martha Stewart design all things are possible. The "banner" was a series of decorative alphabet circles spelling our "Just Married" and the couple's first names. It was all tied together with pink organdy ribbon and sage green satin ribbon. It was simple and elegant. We used a family heirloom monogrammed linen table cloth over-laid with another family cloth of ecru lace.
You all know of my love for silver and there was lots in evidence. I have amassed a good collection of silver serving pieces at our apartment in Richmond. What I did not have there, we shipped from California. We used my mother's crystal plates, newly purchased vintage crystal goblets, and lots of silver trays.
I love the use of cupcakes at weddings today. Although the small wedding cake was ample for the number of guests, I decided to surround the cake with matching cupcakes. A tiny sugar rose topped each cupcake while the cake was decorated with lacy white butterflies. The cake was baked earlier in the week and frozen until the day before the wedding. I purchased a special giant plastic container to place the iced cake in the refrigerator over night. This plan worked perfectly. The cake was moist and fresh. It tasted as if it were baked only hours before it was served.
Another popular custom for a reception is to have a candy bar. We did a small version of the candy bar that was placed right on the cake table. My husband enjoyed scouting out candy shops for white candies. Most are more than happy to provide you with samples of the candy. We found there is quite an assortment out there.
There were the wedding favorite of white Jordon Almonds, coconut flavor white Jelly Bellys, tiny little white crusted mints that resembled white caviar, white M &M's which are a favorite candy of the groom, and while chocolate Hersey bars. They were served in crystal candy dishes and silver bowls and pedestals.
There was a Goodie Bag for each guest to take home. Inside was a fancy box containing a sampling of the white candies, white meringue cookies in a white box, a votive candle decorated with the names of the couple and the date, custom water labeled with the names and date, and a tiny white frame holding a picture of the couple with a California sunset behind them.
At the end of the day, I cannot tell you what a pleasant and meaningful day it was. We missed having all the family and our friends with us but there will be time to celebrate with them in a few months. Although this was not a destination wedding in the truest sense it was far from the home our daughter grew up in. That was a disappointment, but I feel the concentration was on the marriage of two people who love each other very much. And in the end, that is why we celebrate the day!
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